Thomas and The Magic Railroad X
by Ketchum Kid
Summary: A fan remake of TatMR that will not only show many of the deleted scenes and unaired characters, but will also include elements that were never intended for the original script.
1. Prequil to an Adventure

_Considering how much of a flop the original movie was, I'm surprised that there are hardly any fan remakes on Fanfiction._

_I don't need to say how much of a flop that Thomas and the Magic Railroad was. I also don't need to tell you how much got cut out; for that, go to Sodor Island Forums, as they were one of the first sites to break the cuts. What I do need to stress is how many characters weren't even in the original script. No Edward, no engine with a number over seven, no diesels. No Troublesome Truck incidents._

_What I will try to accomplish here is the creation of a complete fan version of TatMR that restores most of the uncut characters and scenes. In addition, I will also add my own elements to the story that were present during the time that the movie was in production (about Season 5). So not only will you find PT Boomer and George playing major roles in the plot, but also Donald and Douglas, Oliver and Toad, and even Skarloey as well._

_Finally, I dedicate this story for all those who wish for the release of an uncut version of the movie._

_

* * *

_

**Thomas and the Magic Railroad X**

**Chapter 1: Prequil to an Adventure**

Early one spring, workmen discovered structural fatigue in the viaduct near Cronk. Sir Topham Hatt placed a speed limit on the bridge, and closed one of the two tracks to allow crews to repair the bridge. They managed to repair most of the spans, but that summer, the railway experienced an unusually large amount of vacationers to the Island of Sodor. Delays began to rack up, until finally Sir Topham Hatt was forced to reopen the second track. By this point, the middle spans were the only unrepaired section of the viaduct, so the speed restriction was lifted. But some of the engines still insist that they can feel the track shift under their wheels.

One morning, Thomas the tank engine was chuffing along the main line with Annie and Clarabelle. A VIP had chartered a special train to take him and his friends from Barrow-In-Furness to the Skarloey Railway at Covan's Gate, and had specifically requested for Thomas to pull the train.

As he approached the station, he was switched onto the right-hand track. Gordon was already in the station on the left hand track with the westbound express. Thomas could also see Duke at the head of the VIP's train to the lakeside. While Duke seemed pleased to see Thomas, Gordon was not.

"Five, six, seven, eight…." the big Doncaster counted.

"…Who do we appreciate?" Thomas finished. "Practicing your numbers Gordon? That's a good engine."

"I'm counting how many seconds late you are, Thomas," Gordon corrected. "See that sign on your platform say?"

"'North Western Railway. Really reliable and right on time. Sorry for delays during repairs, we are making this a better railway. Signed, Head of the Railway, Sir Topham Hatt.'"

"Gordon," Duke said, "I don't think that he would punish Thomas for being a few seconds late."

"But that's just it, Duke. He wasn't on time-"

"-And you're being bossy, Gordon," Thomas interrupted. "Now please excuse me. After my passengers finish unloading, I have to meet Mr. Conductor at Wellsworth Station."

"Ah," Duke responded. "Sir Topham Hat is going away on vacation, I suppose?"

"Yes. He is going to tell us later today that Mr. Conductor will act as controller until he returns."

A guard's whistle blew, signaling that it was time for the express to depart. "Personally," Gordon huffed, "I think we can take care of ourselves just fine without that man." And he pulled out of the station.

Crovan's Gate was a junction point, where the Ballahoo line diverges from the main line, as well as the terminus for the Skarloey Railway. The eastbound (right) track of the triple track line heads into the passenger station on the main line, while the westbound (left) track heads into Crovan's Gate transfer yard on the Ballahoo line. The middle track splits to allow trains to go on either line. The Skarloey line discharges passengers at the station by the main line, while goods trains continue on, crossing the main line on what is called a "diamond" to access the transfer yard.

As Gordon began to pull out of the station, Peter Sam was pulling ten cars loaded with slate past the station. He switched onto the line that would take him to the transfer yard. As he was about to cross…

"**GET OUT OF MY WAY!"**

A dirty brown diesel was racing up Gordon's line at a high rate of speed. Peter Sam Gasped, and quickly sped up to clear the line. He did so just in time. The diesel flew by the last slate truck with inches to spare.

"I have important business to do here, and I want to finish it, FAST!" he yelled, as he rocketed past Thomas and Duke, kicking up a cloud of dust that dirtied Thomas's shiny coat of paint. Had it not been for a quick-thinking signalman, he would have also rammed into the back of the express; instead, he was routed onto the westbound track, avoiding Gordon, but not before nearly clipping Toad, as Oliver was pulling into the transfer yards at the time with an empty train.

"Cinders and ashes!" Thomas exclaimed. "Who was that?"

"Hmmm…. I wonder…"

"What is it, Duke?" the tank engine asked.

"Lately, I've been hearing many tales from the visiting engines about a rather dingy and rude fellow by the name of Diesel 10. As one of them put it, he is called that because he is 'ten out of ten, for devious deeds, and brutal strength.' Another said that his attitude was 'a blast from the past, reminiscent of the steam-hating diesels from the mainland fifty years ago.'"

"And that was Diesel 10?"

"I don't know. What I do know is that with that fellow here, you engines need Mr. Conductor now more than ever." And he chuffed away with his special, leaving Thomas to worry about the coming days.

* * *

Meanwhile, in a faraway world across oceans of time and space, lies the tiny town of Strasburg, Pennsylvania. But it rarely goes by that name, as most people call the place Shining Time. This is based off of the Strasburg Railroad, the local tourist line that terminates there. The operation, run since the 1960s, always runs on time service between Shining Time and Paradise, with some services continuing on to Harrisburg. This gives the town something to smile about, bringing a beaming smile to their faces; hence the name, Shining Time.

Some people argue, though, that the town is called that because of the train station's resident porter, Mr. Conductor. Wearing the standard blue conductor's outfit of the British rail lines, he always manages to bring a smile to anyone who should meet him. Despite his small size (he is about nine inches tall), his presence is felt all over the station. Known for his trademark short grey ponytail and the gold dust that allows him to pop in and out of places, he is usually busy with small jobs, such as fixing Billy's model of a Nickel Plate Hudson, or feeding the plants, which he was doing right now.

While he was feeding the plants, The Rainbow Valley, which was the daily train to Harrisburg, was departing Shining Time. A young lady was waving goodbye to her boyfriend, who was on the train. As she was doing so, she was backing up towards the planter. Mr. Conductor saw her out of the corner of his eye, and quickly swung his hands in upward circles, causing the planter to magically rise just high enough to clear her head. Once she passed, Mr. Conductor stopped, and the planter returned to its original position. He tipped his cap to the lady, and went back to his gardening.

* * *

If Mr. Conductor had been watching the time, he would have realized that he was late for Thomas's train. The little blue engine was beginning to worry that Mr. Conductor was in trouble. Fortunately, Edward was there to calm him down.

"Don't worry," he said. "He probably has some business to attend to back at home." Thomas, however, was still concerned for his safety.

"You're probably right. But what if he is lost? Or what if he ran into that diesel from before? I certainly don't think that he won't stop for a human?"

"True. But remember: Mr. Conductor has his magic gold dust with him. As long as he has that, he should be fine." Thomas looked bit better after hearing that.

"Why don't you check if he's at Tidmouth?" Edward suggested. "He might have appeared there, forgetting that he was to meet you here."

"Good idea. I'll head there now." Thomas began to puff out of the station. "Oh Mr. Conductor, where are you?"

Just after Thomas had left the station, Donald appeared from behind a cut of cars. "I c'n tell ya don't really believe in what ye just told wee Thomas, Edward. Am I right?"

Edward sighed. "What was I supposed to say to him, Donald? Mr. Conductor and his family have been on time for every event since I had arrived here. This is the first time that any of them are late."

The Scottish engine looked up into the sky. "I don't know 'bout you, but I feel that something big is gonna happen while Sir Topham Hatt is away that's gonna affect the whole lot of us. I can feel it in me wheels."

"Are you sure it's not the viaduct?" Edward questioned.

"Who knows?"

* * *

A fruit fly has a very short lifespan, only about a few weeks. It lives to mate and feed on rotten food and garbage.

If you asked James, though, he would say that a fly's primary purpose was to annoy him.

One fly had been busy buzzing around James's nose for the last five minutes, and had destroyed James's patience. He tried to shoo the creature away, but when you have no arms, that is a tall order to accomplish. To make matters worse, Duck and BoCo were in the shed as well, and were enjoying every moment of James's misery.

"Sandle Fly!" he yelled to the fly. "Food fly! Shoo, fly! That's it!"

"Beg pardon, James," the Great Western engine spoke, "but I really think that you can shoo it away with steam."

"It's a shame that it isn't a bee," BoCo chuckled. "I saw a van full of Christmas ornaments in the yard today. We could have celebrated Christmas in July."

"Better still, why don't you two buzz off!" James snapped. He then saw Thomas backing up on a siding next to the sheds. Judging from the rate of speed that he was going at, it appeared that he did not notice that he was nearing the buffers at the end of the line.

"Look out, Thomas!" he warned. Thomas slowed down, but still hit the buffers hard enough to startle him.

"Botheration!" he exclaimed.

"You weren't concentrating, Thomas," the red engine scolded "Lucky for you the buffers were there."

"That's what buffers are for: to stop engines from crashing," the tank engine argued. Then, he noticed that James's wasn't steaming. "What are you still doing in the sheds, James?"

"I'm feeling a little blue," he moaned. "Which isn't so hot when you're red." Duck and BoCo eyed him suspiciously. "…Alright, alright! I was naughty!"

"James refused to take some coal trucks to the mine," the diesel explained. "He said that such work was for dirty little tank engines such as Percy or Oliver."

"Sir Topham Hatt ordered firelighter to put out James's fire," Duck finished, "and leave him in the sheds for the rest of the day."

"He told me to think about all the ways I can be really useful," James added.

'He's just trying to make this a better railway for steam engines," Thomas said. "Sir Topham Hatt said that tat the harder we work, the less we need diesels to help. No offense, BoCo."

"None taken. I must admit that I appall at the thought of what my brethren on the mainland think ab….out….steam…."

"Oh boy," Duck gasped.

"What's wrong?" questioned Thomas. He then saw what they were looking at. The diesel had been just behind the shed wall all this time, and had just pulled into view on the track right next to Thomas.

"Help YOU?" the diesel scoffed, then laughed manically.

"You'll always need help!" he continued. "Because steam engines are cowardly, cranky, worn out hunks of metal who couldn't hurt a fly."

"No we're not!" James retorted. The fly still buzzed around him.

"Yes you are!"

"Aren't!

"Are!"

**SMACK!**

The fly was no longer buzzing around James, because Sir Topham Hatt crushed it with his bare hands. He had been in the shed the entire time, and had herd everything.

"Quiet!" he exclaimed. "I should expect better manners from my current and possible future engines."

"Beg pardon, Sir, but did you say future?"

"You're quite right, Duck. While I'm away, Mr. Conductor, who is apparently late, will be evaluating Number 10 and two other diesels for possible purchase. Which reminds me," he turned to Diesel 10. "Where are Number 77528 and Number 36343?"

"The stationmaster at Knapford needed the two at the harbor, Sir," he explained. "Apparently, a large shipment of fish had arrived, and needed to be taken for tonight's Flying Kipper."

"Excellent! Now I expect to hear you treat the visitors well while I'm away. BoCo, show Number 10 around the yards. Thomas, continue to search for Mr. Conductor. Duck, get a train ready for Number 10 to take. James…carry on."

"Yes sir," the four groaned. Sir Topham Hatt left, while BoCo ran off to the yards.

"Since you guys are goners anyway," Diesel Ten began, "I'll let you in on something. My real reason here is not to operate under Mr. Fatt Hatt. I'm looking for a lost steam engine. If I can find her, I'll scrap her, then dominate all of you; and then, you'll be nothing but useless scrap!" He then followed after BoCo.

"Big bully!" James yelled.

"Don't worry," Thomas assured. "We're really useful engines. We won't let him dominate over us, and neither will Mr. Conductor." He gasped. "Oh no! I still have to find him! I'm off to fetch him now!" And Thomas hurried off on his search, leaving James to sulk in the sheds with Duck.

"This day just couldn't get any worse. Am I right, Duck?"

Duck wasn't paying attention to James. He was too focused on something that Diesel 10 had let slip.

"What lost engine?" he asked to no one in particular.

* * *

_For Your Information…_

_While the viaduct in the movie has no specific location, I put as the same one as on the main line, where Gordon once lost his dome._

_Like the viaduct, the track arrangements at Crovans Gate are fanmade._

_I'm using the George Carlin version of Mr. Conductor, not the Alec Baldwin version._

_There are references to the episodes __**James goes Buzz Buzz**__ and __**Make Someone Happy**__._

_So Diesel 10 and his friends have arrived. What trouble will they cause on the Island of Sodor? Who else will come into prominence as the story progresses? And what other changes have I made to the plot. Only one way to find out, and that's to review and stay tuned!_

_Also, check out my other stories, __**Deliverance from Evil**__ and __**The Pokemon World Series**__._


	2. Worlds Apart, Worlds in Danger

_I'm horribly sorry for neglecting this story for so long. I got a third along in writing this, before new releases and real life combined to force me to let some works retract for a bit. If you may have noticed, The Tokyo Railway Series, my main foray into the Thomas universe, was deleted. I didn't want it dragging down production, or be a direct copy of ThomasZoey3000's Railway Series Shuffle. It's undergoing an overhaul, and will return after a TUGS/Thomas crossover that will be released after TatMRX is finished._

_I was going to get this done earlier, but a sore throat/head cold wrecked any chance of a quick update._

From Magic135: great.

From KKid: Thanks!

From matt0044: Though you're writing could use some touching up, this is a good start to a promising fan remake of the first Thomas movie. I'm definately going to stick around.

Also if you're into Pokemon, check out my Pokemon game adaptations in the springtime. Also look out for my own Thomas series: Sammy's Sodor Adventures.

From KKid: Yeah, that seems to be a problem with all of my stories. Thanks for the review! As for your story, it's a good start, but why'd you stop it?

From Duck 'n' Diesel: As long as your adding in Thomas characters who didn't make it into the movie, what about Shining Time characters who didn't make it in as well, like the Juke Box puppets or Schemer? I always thought when I was younger that if they ever did make a Thomas movie, he and (don't call him Devious, just) Diesel should've been the villains.

From KKid: The problem with the Juke Box puppets is that when they appeared, it was only for a song. There isn't any real point for them to be included, they'd just stall the plot. Schemer, however, does make a brief appearance here, and Diesel almost made it in (See For Your Information at the bottom).

From Skatoonyfan1234: that's what it should look like!

From KKid: I hear ya.

From Team-William-Luver: OMG! This is what the movie should have been! This is epic!

From KKid: See above. Thanks!

From K.D.: This sounds great! When will you start continuing it? I'd love to see what happens next?

From KKid: Right now. Thanks for the review!

From everyone else: (No review)

From KKid:…Shame on you all…

_Due to harsh complaints out of Magister of Zero, I am required to make the following statement that will be branded onto the next chapter for all current stories:_

By definition, fan fiction, according to Wikipedia, is a broadly-defined term for fan labor regarding stories about characters (or simply fictional characters) or settings written by fans of the original work, rather than by the original creator. It is defined by being both related to its subject's canonical fictional universe and simultaneously existing outside the canon of that universe. That means that even a slight change in canon, even if there is no change to the reaction of the canon characters, is still considered fanfiction. Do not blast me by saying that by doing this, this, and that that this is a horrible story, I should start over, or that I should stop writing altogether, because I or any other author can do the exact same thing to you. I refrain from doing that so as not to engage in a self-destructing word war between authors. Hold judgment until the story is under steam, not when it is in its first few chapters. I apologize for having to take this time to remind the uneducated few about this.

_Now, on with the chapter!_

* * *

**Chapter 2: Worlds Apart, Worlds in Danger**

While Thomas began his search for Mr. Conductor, back at Shining Time Station, a boy was putting the finishing touches on painting the welcome sign into town. The boy had light brown hair, and was wearing jeans and a red long-sleeved shirt, with the sleeves rolled back. Next to him, a Bernard Collie/Terrier mix sat patiently on the sign's wooden railing.

The boy soon finished, and marveled at the sign, which read:

Welcome to Shining Time

Town Population: 5006

Give or Take

"Look at it Mutt!" he told the dog. "Pant job's finished! I reckon that Shining Time's the best welcome sign in the whole valley."

Mutt simply barked twice.

"Well, I'm glad you agree. Billy's old map sure helped a lot." He held up the map. A long, deep whistle echoed throughout town, prompting Mutt to bark again.

"He's on his way back now, is he?" the boy asked. "You hear that train whistle sooner than it hears itself." He patted Mutt on the head.

Near the station is the yard throat, and near that, the line crosses the main road into town at an unprotected crossing. A field sits right near the crossing, and every day, children play in the field, watching the trains roll back and forth down the line.

Such was the case as Billy began to ease off the throttle on No. 475 in preparation of the station stop. Billy was of Native American decent, and his black hair was braided into two ponytails as such. The middle aged engineer of the Strasburg Railroad wore jeans and a salmon shirt under a tan vest. He waved to the two kids who were playing hide-and-seek in the tall grass.

Suddenly, one of the kids franticly pointed to the crossing. Billy looked, and saw that a motorcycle was barreling down the road, and would reach the crossing at about the same time as the train! Billy shut off steam and applied the brakes, but it wasn't enough to stop the train. Fortunately, it slowed the train down just enough that the motorcycle passed through the crossing just seconds ahead of the train. Billy sighed in relief, and let go of the brakes, allowing the train to coast into the station, right on time, and without a serious accident. He turned the locomotive over to the yard crew, and went over to see the boy and Mutt by the sign. The former was feeding the latter, while a horse with a blue saddle looked on.

"Fine work, Patch!" he applauded the boy, but as he did, he looked behind him. The motorcyclist had pulled into the station parking lot.

"Thanks," Patch said. Billy shook of the bad feeling in his gut, and turned back to look at Patch.

"Oh, I've been looking at your map," Billy said, pulling the parchment out. "What are these mysterious shadowy lines doing on it? They're at odd angles, so they aren't map grids. And they look like straight railroad tracks, but I don't see any tracks here except for the Strasburg."

"It's a mystery," Billy replied sage-like, "That makes this land so…"

"Magical?" Billy nodded. "Well, I better be off to Muffle Mountain. I promised Mr. Stone that I'd clean out his yard today." He climbed up onto his horse.

"Does Burnett ever give you a smile?" Billy wondered.

"No," Patch responded. "But he doesn't frighten my horse either." He patted his horse. "Which means that I don't think he's a bad man. I think he's just…sad." He then rode off down the dirt road. Just as he did, a man ran up from the station, heading for Billy. He wore a grey suit with matching grey plaid pants and a grey and black tie. His brown hairdo was jelled to his head, except for a cowlick on the right.

"Billy!" he gasped. "You've got to help me, buddy!"

"What's the matter, Schemer?"

"This weird dude just drove up onto the platform and stole the newspapers from my delivery boy! I tried to tell him that he was killing my business doing that, but he just shoved me away!" Billy was intrigued.

"By any chance, did this man drive up on a motorcycle?"

* * *

Percy and Toby were busy arranging stone trucks at Knapford Harbor when Thomas arrived.

"Hey, Thomas!" the green engine called over. "Ready to help shunt these trucks?"

"I wish I could, Percy," the blue tank engine sighed, "but I've got to find Mr. Conductor. Was he around here by any chance?"

"You mean he wasn't at the station when you went to pick him up?" Toby asked.

"No. Edward said that it was fine, but I'm still worried…"

"Did you check the branchline yet?" the tram engine suggested.

"Not yet. I'm heading there right now." And he left in a hurry.

"Good luck!" Percy called.

Out of the corner of his eye, Toby spotted two pairs of eyes watching them from the scrapyards siding. As soon as they realized that they were spotted, they disappeared. A diesel roar was heard in the distance. It could have been from BoCo, who was passing overhead with a goods train, but the tram engine wasn't so sure.

"Percy," he said, "I'll take these empties up to Mavis for reloading. You stay here and finish shunting these trucks into place."

"Alone?" Percy asked, surprised. "But there are still five tracks with loaded trucks!"

"Don't worry," Toby reassured. "I have faith that you can keep the cars in order just as I do." He came up behind a string of ten empty trucks, and pushed them up the branchline.

"Toby has faith in me," Percy stated, who now had a sudden boost in confidence. "I won't disappoint him!" He backed into a siding and coupled up to a loaded line of cars, took half of them, and headed for the key.

* * *

At Shining Time Station, the man from the motorcycle was busy rifling through newspapers that had been stacked on the platform. The man wore a black leather jacket, a blue golf shirt, and blue jeans. A black helmet covered his grey hair, and goggles hung around his neck. He continued throwing newspapers around until he found what he wanted.

"Aha!" He declared, and took out a pad and paper to copy down something.

"You better be willing to clean these up," the newspaper boy, who was at arm's length away, demanded. "I can't deliver the newspapers if they aren't in a neat bundle." This made the man cross.

"Keep your mouth still!" he ordered. "Unless you want to know what's good for ya!"

"What's good for whom?" The man turned around to face Billy and Schemer, who were not very happy. But when Billy saw the man's face, he was startled. "Boomer?" he asked.

"That's PT Boomer to you, Billy!" he sternly corrected, and went back to

"What are you doing here? I haven't seen you in nearly forty years!"

"That's none of your concern." He finished jotting down the desired information, and put the pad and pen away. Mutt arrived, and began to bark and growl at him. "Shut up, you stupid dog! Now, unless you have anything else to say to me, I have somewhere to go right now." He left in a hurry.

"Great," the newspaper boy groaned. "Now how am I supposed to deliver all of these papers?"

"Don't worry," Schemer said. "With me and Billy helping you, we'll get those papers back into order in no time!"

***WILL BILLY PEASE REPORT TO THE FRONT DESK IMMEDIATELY.***

"Sorry Schemer," Billy apologized. "I have to see what Stacy wants." Schemer groaned, before running to chase a paper that was being blown away by the wind. [Schemer: My profits! Come back!] Billy headed into the station building, with Mutt following close behind.

The station was bustling with passengers who had either just gotten off of Billy's train, or were waiting for it to be turned around to head back to Harrisburg. At the front desk, a woman was busy talking into a telephone behind the front desk. She had short black hair, and wore a red suit with a matching stationmaster's hat. She finished her conversation just as Billy came up to her desk.

"You wanted me, Stacy?" the veteran engineer asked.

"Yes," she replied. "I was cleaning through the old storage room just now, and came across this." She took out an old and tattered piece of paper, which she gave to Billy.

"Does that say, 'Burnett Stone'?" Billy asked, as he inspected the drawing.

"Yes. It's hard to believe that Burnett could have ever looked that happy."

"Oh, Burnett had a wonderful smile. And he loved railroading, too. By the way, did Mr. Conductor leave already?"

"No, he's still by the kids in the waiting-"

**!Ring, Ring! !Ring, Ring!**

"Excuse me a second." Stacy answered the call, while Billy headed over to the waiting room to listen in on Mr. Conductor's stories about the Island of Sodor. He took a seat in the far back of the room, by a mural. The kids had packed closely around Mr. Conductor, who used a table so as not to be completely dwarfed by them.

"'Uh, small engines, thank you.' 'I'll never be rude again; however, you two mites are in my way so move over!' 'Pah!' said Percy. 'He's back to bugging us!' 'Don't move! You're still attached to Cranky!' But it was too late, as Cranky once again toppled over with a mighty thud!

"After Thomas and Percy pulled him back up, Cranky was back to work at Knapford Harbor. He still looks down at tank engines, but he never calls them bugs anymore. He knows that they might just bite back." There was a round of applause, as the little kids began to ask for another story.

"Can you tell us more about Cranky?" one of them asked.

"I wanna hear about Toby!" another demanded.

"Were there any more rude vehicles like Bulgy?" a third child wondered. Mr. Conductor motioned for silence.

"Actually, there's a story that covers all three. It's called "Horrid Lorry," and-" he caught sight of Billy, who tapped his wrist. Mr. Conductor checked his pocket watch, and nearly fell off the table in surprise.

"Oh my!" he exclaimed. "I'm sorry kids, but I have to go now. Sir Topham Hatt needs me on Sodor, and if I don't leave soon, I'll be very late!" He blew his whistle, and in a flash of golden sparkles, he disappeared. The kids groaned, until their parents reassured them that they'll return the next time Mr. Conductor was back. Speaking of whom, he reappeared on the mural ledge by a shack, right near where Billy was seated.

"Thanks for signaling me, Billy," he said. "I completely forgot about where I had to go today, and if I was any more late than I was now…well, you know how much Sir Topham Hatt dislikes confusion and delay."

"All too well," Billy replied, as Mutt trotted over to his side. The dog barked at Mr. Conductor, before laying down to get a head scratch from Billy.

"You know," the Strasburg engineer continued," you're not the only person today to leave on important business."

"Really? Who?" Billy smiled. "You?"

"The Canadian Pacific wants me to help with the restoration of their 2816," he explained. "I'm flying out to Vancouver tonight to help fabricate some new parts for them."

"That's a big responsibility you got there," Mr. Conductor remarked.

"Not as big as yours though. Didn't you say that there were some new engines coming to the Island?"

"Yes. He said that there was a road diesel and two switching locomotives arriving to help with the summer rush. If they do well, he might buy them from the mainland. I have to make sure that they behave themselves while Sir Topham Hatt gets a much needed vacation. Ah, excuse me, Billy." He felt around his waist. "Toolkit? Check. Ticket puncher? Check check. Ah-hem! Ay-yi-i-i-i! All aboard!" he turned back to the engineer. "How was that?"

"Not bad, Mr. C."

"Good. Musn't let my conductor skills get rusty. Speaking of whom, I wonder how the little diesel's doing on the Skarloey Railway."

"I guess you'll find out in a little bit," Billy answered, getting up. "I've got to get ready. The Rainbow Valley departs in ten minutes. I hope your visit goes well, Mr. C."

"Same for yours. Goodbye!" Billy walked away, with Mutt following closely behind. "I must be responsible, reliable, and…" He struggled to remember the last part. Finally, he took a piece of paper out of his pocket, read it, and stomped his foot on the ground in disgust. "Really useful! I knew that!" He then used his whistle to move to Stacy's desk. She was still taking the call from before, so he simply waved at her, before turning his attention to a goldfish bowl on the desk.

"I'm sorry," he said to the goldfish. "What did you say?"

"Glug, glug."

"Why thank you, Moby Dick! I like my sparkle too."

"Glug, glug."

"You know, gold really is your color." The owner soon came over and took the bowl with him. Stacy was done at this point, so Mr. Conductor decided to go back to what he came over here to do. Before he could talk to her, his eye caught Burnett's drawing.

"Stacy," he asked, "where did you find this drawing?"

"An old locker," she replied. "It was done by Burnett Stone back when he was a child. I was told that he used to work on this railroad, but he never leaves the other side of the mountain now." She noticed Mr. Conductor's confused face. "You seem puzzled, Mr. Conductor."

"The drawing looks like the Island of Sodor," he stated, gaining a surprised look from Stacy. "But how could Burnett travel there without gold dust? Sparkle's been the only way to travel there since the Lost Engine disappeared. Anyway, I came to say goodbye, I must go now."

"Right now?" Stacy's question stopped him from blowing his whistle.

"Yes. I have to make sure that everything's safe and sound on the Island of Sodor, and I'm already late as is." He then blew on his whistle, returning to the shack on the mural. He turned to the nearby painting of a train.

"Old Smokey," he ordered, "You stay here until I get back." A panting sound caught his attention. He turned around to be face-to muzzle with Mutt. "Ah! There you are!"

"Whine!"

"Is something wrong here?"

"Whirruff!" Mutt shook his head, as Mr. Conductor laughed.

"Now what kind of an answer is that?" he told the dog, as he checked his watch again. "Great! I'm going to be later still! I'm sorry, Mutt, but I'll be back as soon as I can. I have to concentrate now; I'm suddenly starting to have trouble with my sparkle-!"

"Whine, whine!" Mutt leaned down, covering a paw over his face.

"Mutt," he said sternly. The dog refused to move. "Goodbye, Mutt. Sparkle, sparkle, sparkle!"

Mutt suddenly sat back up, and barked at Mr. Conductor to stop, but it was too late. He blew his whistle, and gold dust covered him. As he was disappearing, however, the dust flickered, like a television set that was on the fritz. Mutt whined as he saw the last of Mr. Conductor disappear.

"**!WOOO! !WOOO!"**

Mutt's ears perked up, and he quickly raced out towards the door to the platform. Pushing at the door with all of his might, he forced it open, and ran out onto the platform. The dog looked to the east, and saw the last car of the Rainbow Valley clear the platform.

The two protectors of Shining Time Station, Billy and Mr. Conductor, had both left the station.

* * *

About fifteen miles to the north and east of Strasburg is Muffle Mountain. Its actual name is Welsh Mountain, but residents have called Muffle ever since the Reading Company built a branch line just to the north. While it wasn't particularly tall, the mountain served as an efficient "muffler" of a locomotive's whistle. These days, though, the line has been abandoned through the area.

In a cave halfway up the mountain, a flashlight shone onto the golden whistle of a purple tank engine. As the light moved down past the boiler to the wheels, it was evident by the layer of dust that the engine had not been fired up in a long time.

Suddenly, footsteps were heard from the entrance to the cave. The light swerved around, shining right onto…

"Patch?"

"Hi, Mr. Stone."

"How did you find me here?" Burnett asked the boy. Burnett had sandy blonde hair that had a few grey streaks in it, and wore a brown leather acket over a tan collared shirt and tan pants.

"I found the entrance to your workshop ages ago," Patch admitted. "But I wouldn't tell anybody." Burnett motioned to a point on the wall.

"See that light switch over there on the wall? Flip it on." Patch did so, illuminating the room far better than any flashlight. Several old machines were in the room, along with drawings, paintings, and blueprints. On either end of the locomotive, the tracks continued into a tunnel for about a hundered yards, before ending at buffers.

"I guessed that there was something mysterious about this mountain," Patch remarked as he walked up to Burnett's side. "But who would have thought it was a steam engine?"

"Yeah. All mountains have their secrets, Patch. Shouldn't surprise a kid like you, though." The boy climbed up onto the locomotive, and walked around to the opposite side.

"Can I help you with anything, Mr. Stone?" he asked.

"Sure. You can help me dust her off." He tossed a rag over to Patch. He started with the side of the locomotive, and quickly revealed a nameplate.

"'Lady.'" he read.

"That's her name," Burnett said.

"Why is she in the mountain?" Patch asked.

"To be safe from harm," he explained. "Long ago, as Lady's caretaker, I made a terrible mistake. An evil diesel found her, and attempted to destroy her. He chased her, forcing her to use up all of her coal in the process. He made her go too fast, and then he crashed her. I managed to bring her here, and for a long time have tried my best to fix her up, but I've never been able to make up for the mistake that I've made, nor have been able to bring her to life." Patch looked at him curiously.

"Not coal?" he guessed. Burnett shook his head.

"More like the wrong coal," he explained. "I've tried bituminous, anthracite, lignite, even steam coal. None of it had produced the right amount of steam to get her to life properly." He paused. "I have to get her steaming properly. She's as precious as gold."

* * *

Thomas was nearing Ffarquarh, the end of his branchline, but had still not found Mr. Conductor anywhere. He was beginning to get really worried.

"Mr. Conductor," he called out, "Where are you? I know you live really far away, but you always seem to get here on time."

As he approached the lead switch into Ffarquarh, a whistle and static sound caught his attention. He looked to his right and saw Mr. Conductor appear besides the tracks.

"Oh Mr. Conductor!" he exclaimed. "Are you alright?"

"Hello Thomas!" he called back. "I'm fine, but sometimes it feels like everything's happening at once. I have to see Sir Topham Hatt to get my orders at once."

"You just missed him," Thomas said. "He just left for his holiday."

"He probably left instructions in his office, so take me there please." He looked at his whistle. "The journey from shining time keeps getting bumpier and bumpier."

"Does it?" the tank engine asked, to which he got a nod. "There's a new diesel on the railway, and he doesn't look friendly."

"Sir Topham Hatt told me about Diesel Ten's visit," he said. "I'll be fine."

"**Oh, really?" **Mr. Conductor turned around to find a pair of 0-6-0 siderod diesels purr up behind Thomas. The first one had a purple front and cab with a grey body and the name Splatter on each side, while the other had a green front and cab with the name Dodge on each side.

"Well, well, well," Splatter remarked, "What do we have here, Dodge?"

"Both Thomas and Mr. Conductor, Splatter."

"Yes. The boss will be very happy to hear that we got rid of both."

"Very much so." Mr. Conductor quickly took a look around, and noticed a switch not far behind Thomas.

"Thomas, reverse away, quick!" The tank engine complied, with the two diesels giving chase. Mr. Conductor ran over to the switch stand, and just before Splatter ran over the points, he switched the points, sending the two into a siding. Splatter stopped just before he ran into stone trucks, but was biffed from behind by Dodge, and bumped into them anyway, derailing the first two cars.

"Hey! Slow down when you're following," he yelled.

"Sorry." Just then, everyone heard a quick chuffing sound. Toby came around the bend, and stopped just before the switch. Because the trucks he was pushing weren't coupled to Toby, they continued to roll forward, crashing into Dodge and derailing. The two diesels were now trapped on the siding.

"Great timing, Toby," Mr. Conductor applauded.

"Hello, Mr. Conductor," the tram engine greeted. "It's a good thing that I was following you, Thomas; otherwise, you might have ended up on the wrong side of the buffers. Now let's get back to Tidmouth and get the breakdown train. As much as I would like to leave these two diesels here, we need that stone at Knapford." Mr. Conductor nodded, and whistled to get into Thomas's cab. This time, however, there was more static, and it took even longer to teleport over. "Are you okay, Mr. Conductor?"

"Don't worry, Toby. I'll still be able to pop in and out with my sparkle. I hope."

* * *

It was nearly dark when Burnett and Patch returned to Burnett's house. It wasn't that special: a small, one-story brick building with four windows and a chimney, nestled in a valley at the foot of Muffle Mountain. A stream meandered past his dirt driveway, which had an old blue pickup truck parked on it, along with Patch's horse.

"Thanks again for letting me see Lady," Patch said to Burnett as he got onto his horse. "I'll see you tomorrow, then."

"Goodbye, Patch," Burnett said, and watched him race off down the road back to Shining Time. Just as Patch was about to go out of sight along a bend in the road, his horse swerved, as a motorcycle raced past in the opposite direction, heading towards Burnett's house. Burnett's face twisted in surprise and disgust as the motorcycle stopped right in front of him, and its driver took off his goggles.

"Peter Travis Boomer," he spat out.

"That's PT Boomer to you.

"What brings you to Muffle Mountain? The motorcycle convention was two weeks ago."

"Very funny, but you know as well as I do why I'm here."

"I do?"

"Where is she, Stone?"

"Where's who?"

"Don't play dumb with me. I've known that you've been protecting that engine ever since that accident forty years ago."

"What makes you think she's here?"

"Because of your promise to her. Mark my words, Burnett Stone. I'll find where you're hiding Lady, and when I do, neither you nor anyone else will still admit that that engine is 'magical.'" Boomer put his helmet and goggles back on, and sped off down the road.

Burnett looked back to where Patch had left. He began to wonder if he had just put yet another person into danger.

* * *

Toby, Thomas, and Mr. Conductor arrived at Knapford Harbor by midday. The two engines turned on a wye track, and headed for the key. There was still a yard track that had several stone trucks spotted on it.

"Where's Percy?" Thomas asked to Toby. "Didn't you say that he was still arranging the trucks to get unloaded?" Before Toby could answer, Mr. Conductor leaned out of the cab, and pointed forward.

"Found him," he said. Percy had once again been pushed beyond the danger board along the key, and was now bunker-first into the harbor. The troublesome trucks giggled, while Percy merely wheeshed out what little steam he had left.

"Help, please," he weakly pleaded.

"I think we're going to need another breakdown crane," Toby said.

* * *

_For Your Information…_

_The original version of this chapter included Stepney and Diesel, but to prevent the plot from being dragged on, they were cut._

_The actual 2816 was being restored in 2000, and made its first run in 2001._

_The full name of PT Boomer is fan-made. I don't know if it's the real one._

_The ending of the chapter was based off of Percy Takes the Plunge._

_An official discussion thread for this story can be found on my forum. The link is on my profile. Tune in there to also find out the latest information on when the next chapter will come out._

_Mr. Conductor's finally on Sodor. Will his absence from Shining Time Station make a big impact? Will Burnett be able to prevent Boomer from finding Lady? And will I be able to get the next update in reasonable time? Only one way to find out: Read and Review! And check out my other works as well!_


	3. Diesel 10's Devious Deeds

_Well at long last, here's chapter three! After this chapter, all non-anynom review replies will be done via PM._

From matt0044: I like how you included Schemer and had Mr. Conductor tell the ending of "Cranky Bugs" as an allusion to his Thomas tales. Pretty neat.

I can see that this fic is shaping up to be great. Possibly to be part of the 10% of fanfic that are worth reading. But I wouldn't let that get to your head.

Still, hope chapter three comes soon.

From KKid: I've already learned my lesson about dabbling in the other 90%. But yeah, thanks for the review!

From rowdyruff boys fan: my birthday is july 26th, the day the movie came out (that was also the day i started getting in to thomas the tank engine) when i first saw it i knew it was missing something but not this much your pretty cool

From KKid: SIF has the particulars on the cuts. If you want to see what's coming up, check there. Pretty cool about your birthday.

From magic135: this is great.

From KKid: Thanks!

From ThomasPercyEmilyandMolly:

This, so far, is nicely written and detailed! I like the new introduction of Splatter and Dodge. I assume chapter three, they will meet Diesel 10.

For the scene with Burnett, Patch and Lady, it's after the campfire scene with Thomas, Mr. C and Lily, but before Patch says "she can whistle". Just a suggestion.

I've wondered if RWS characters like Ivo Hugh, Barry and Bear would appear, since you used the routes from the RWS.

Overall, excellent work, good remake, and say, what does the 'X' in the title mean? I'm sure you've a good idea for that.

From KKid: Hey, my…uh…(checks other stories)…fifth or sixth favorite author (don't hold me on that) to review my stories!

Anyway, while I'm using all of the scenes (and then some), they won't particularly appear in order, as you'll see soon. And sadly, the RWS-only characters won't appear. I'm approaching this as Allcroft would have, and are using all of the characters revealed up until that time. Plus one Sharon Miller character. But that's a secret until later.

The X derives itself from the Pokemon TCG Level X cards. When used, they give greater power to the Pokemon, improving them. Consequently, I'm trying to improve on this tale.

Skatoonyfan1234: percy the stupid crap engine!

From KKid: Hey, it's not his fault (see below).

From K.D: Hi I've read these first two chapters and they're fantastic! Can you notify me and everyone else who ahs read these two chapters already, about when you will do the next chapters? Thank you.

Upon reading the first two chapters, I cna't wait to see what happens next time!

When are you going to put up Chapter(s) Three-Ten?

By the way, have you signed the petition to geth the director's cut of 'Thomas ANd The Magic Railroad' released to the genral public (both British and American)?

From KKid: It's already done (mostly). See SIF for the uncut action (I have no relation with that site btw).

The chapters will come up as soon as I can. I have DfE and PWS to update as well.

Whenever I become unbusy. Which, in my current state, will never happen.:(

_Also, since I missed it, happy 100th birthday to Wilbert Awdry, to whom we credit all of Thomasdom before the television. Enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter 3: Diesel 10's Devious Deeds**

"You two are REALLY lucky that the Blue Puffball and the Old Teapot had to go somewhere with Mr. Conductor!" Diesel 10 reprimanded Splatter and Dodge. The three were at the transfer yard at Crovans Gate, where Diesel 10 was supposed to take a load of slate trucks to the Other Railway. Note the word supposed, because the engine had instead gotten a breakdown crane to re-rail the two shunting engines. Diesel 10 was on the track closest to the narrow-gauge yards, and was some distance away from his train.

"Uh-uh and that that Mavis Diesel was so kind to us!" Splatter remarked to him.

"Yeah!" Dodge added. "I-I think she could be a good ally for us!"

"It's only because she's cooped up in the Quarry that she was nice to us, Splodge!" Diesel 10 stated.

""A-a-actually it's Splatter."

"A-a-and Dodge."

"He doesn't have time to say both names!" came a deep Scottish voice that was ahead of the three. It was Duncan, who backed down on the track next to Diesel 10. He was to be coupled up to a string of empty slate trucks. "A hard working engine like me knows a thing or two about time-saving measures, and that's one of them!"

"Oh! Uh…"

"Well…"

"Get lost, you tiny steamie!" Diesel 10 hissed. "don't you need to go get polished or something?"

"For your information," Duncan retorted, "I'm bringing these slate trucks back to the Incline Railway! And another, I'm not scared of some smelly old diesels! You can't even run on my line!"

"Oh?" he said innocently. "Then what's that orange DIESEL over by your shed?" He was referring to a small boxy diesel that was talking to Peter Sam.

"Rusty's different!" Duncan insisted. "He helps mend the line, and fills in when there're not enough engines to take the trucks!"

"Will that be all he'll be doing? Because that's how we Diesel's got started: toiling in the yards, doing work that you steam engines didn't want to do. Then, we slowly worked onto the branchlines, before sending you off to scrap by taking over the mainlines."

"Pah! There already was a diesel here who spoke such nonsense, and James sent him packing! You don't scare me at all! Especially since you can't even come on my line!"

"But I can reach over…" A small hiss sound came out of the top of Diesel 10's body, as a hatch opened up. Suddenly, a giant, rusty claw appeared out of the hatch, followed by a mess of wires and metal. Once it was completely out, the claw came down to rest parallel to Diesel 10. Duncan gasped. He had never seen such a thing attached to an engine.

"W-w-what t-the-?-!"

"…and cut your funnel down to size!" The claw suddenly jerked towards Duncan. The little engine jerked forward just before his funnel could be snapped in two. He then raced out of the yard, across the mainline, and stopped just outside of the enginehouse. Peter Sam and Rusty had seen everything.

"Duncan, are you alright?-!" Peter Sam asked.

"Try seeing your funnel flash before your eyes," Duncan wheezed, "and then get back to me!"

"Duncan, your train!" Rusty pointed out. Duncan had left in such a rush that the workers hadn't had time to couple him up to the slate trucks.

"There's no way I'm going back there!" he stated. "I'm taking your train, Peter Sam!" Duncan quickly left for the coach yard.

"H-hey! Duncan?-!" Peter Sam called out, but Duncan was too far away to hear him. "Just great. And he expects me to risk my funnel to collect his train?"

"I'll go," Rusty offered. "Since I'm a diesel, they shouldn't really care about me that much."

"Thanks, Rusty. You're a real lifesaver!"

"Don't mention it." Rusty pulled out of the shed, and headed towards the yard. Soon, he was within earshot of the three. They were laughing about Duncan's near miss."

"Great one, boss!" Splatter exclaimed.

"I always love it when you bring Pinchy out!" Dodge added.

Yeah!"

"Totally!"

"Enough!" Diesel 10 snapped, shutting the two engines up. "Anyway, I've returned to the Island of Sodor to find a lost steam engine."

Rusty stopped, halfway between Duncan's trucks (and Diesel 10) and Diesel 10's train. Even though he was never a part of the fall of steam in England, Rusty knew that a diesel looking for a steam engine wasn't usually a good thing. He backed up, not enough to be out of earshot, but just enough to be hidden by Diesel 10's train.

"O-o-oh!" Splatter stuttered. "That's easy! Real easy here!"

"Yeah!" Dodge added. "They're everywhere on this island!"

"Yeah, yeah…"

"Not the one I want," Diesel 10 stated. "She escaped me once before, and as long as she exists, so do the others." He paused impressively. "But if she can be destroyed…"

"D-d-destroyed?" Splatter inquired.

"D-did you saw the destroyed?" Dodge asked.

"T-the "D" word?"

"Like hurt?"

"Yeah, yeah," Diesel 10 groaned," destroyed!"

"A-ah, there's one small problem there, boss," Splatter noted.

"Yeah, Mr. Conductor isn't going to-to let you destroy any engine!" Dodge explained.

"Yeah, he won't let you destroy."

"Yeah." Diesel 10's patience was wearing thin.

"I can do whatever I want!" he snapped. "I'll get him too! With Pinchy here!" The claw moved up, snapping the air with quick movement…

"Nya-ha-ha-ha-ha-OW!" …and then suddenly dropped down and whacked Diesel 10 in the face. "Pinchy, I hate it when you do that!" Splatter and Dodge chuckled, but immediately were silenced by a glare from the clawed diesel. "You're taking my train, Splodge! I have business to do in Knapford Harbor!" He then backed away.

"Aw…" the two groaned, before pulling forward to switch tracks.

"At least we don't have to go over Gordon's Hill…" Splatter said.

"Yeah," Dodge agreed. "We won't need help from that Edward steamie."

Rusty poked forward. He had heard everything. Slowly, he pulled up to the empty slate trucks in order to be coupled on.

'_A female steam engine?' _Rusty thought to himself. '_I don't remember there ever being one on Sodor.'_

* * *

Once Percy was out of the harbor, Thomas and Toby buffered up to him, and the three set off Tidmouth. Currently, they were now running nicely through the tunnel between Knapford and Tidmouth.

"Diesel 10 pushed your train into the harbor?" Mr. Conductor asked Percy.

"Y-yes," the small engine responded. "I had just set my train up to go to Tidmouth when he came from behind, and shoved my entire train onto the damaged key."

"Couldn't you have just pushed back?" Thomas asked.

"Whose side did you think the trucks were on?" Percy deadpanned. "Diesel 10's scary."

"I wouldn't say scary," Toby pondered. "If I may say so, he's just like Diesel, he only wants us gone so that diesels can rule."

"Sir Topham Hatt would never allow that!" Thomas stated.

"We're out of the tunnel!" Mr. Conductor alerted them. He was right; the darkness of the tunnel disappeared, and they were now approaching the five track glass station at Tidmouth. It was evening, and everywhere around them, engines bustled two and fro, carrying goods and passengers for the evening rush. Donald and Douglas each had separate commuter trains awaiting departure, while BoCo pulled out onto the mainline with a heavy goods train, and Oliver arrived with an empty passenger train from Arlesburgh. The three engines traversed the points, and were able to get to platform one, the closest track to Sir Topham Hatt's office.

"Thanks for picking me up Thomas," Mr. Conductor said as the three came to a stop, and he got out of Thomas's cab. "Sorry for giving you the runaround."

"Not a problem," the blue engine said.

"Toby, I think Sir Topham Hatt would be proud of you, as am I. Your quick thinking allowed us to escape from those two diesels."

"Thank you, sir!" the tram engine replied.

"Percy…" Mr. Conductor paused, trying to find the right words to say. "…have a drink, then take your evening train. You can have the rest of the night off."

"T-thanks, Mr. Conductor," he said. Mr. Conductor headed into the offices, while Thomas, Toby, and Percy went to Tidmouth Sheds. Toby and Percy went to the water column to get refueled, and Thomas backed down onto a siding to fetch Annie and Clarabelle – or at least he thought he did.

"Huh?" he pondered. "I thought I left them right over here in the coach shed…" He looked over towards the roundhouse, and saw them on the siding nearby, where Diesel 10 had been earlier.

"Now how did they get there…?" he wondered, as he switched lines, and backed down onto the proper line. He coupled up to them right next to the stalls, where James was still sulking. Henry, Duck, and Oliver were in the sheds as well.

"You're late!" James snapped. "I thought you knew where Mr. C might be?"

"I did," Thomas protested, "But that wasn't the problem." And he told the three about what happened.

"So that's why Percy seems a bit moody over there," Henry noted.

"Forget about that," James said. "Thomas, I should have collected Mr. Conductor instead. A smart red engine like me wouldn't have let those diesels sneak up on me." Gordon backed up onto the track nearest James.

"James is right, little Thomas," the big blue engine stated. "Collecting Mr. Conductor is an important job, hm? Important is big. James is a big engine."

"Mmhmm!" James chuckled to himself.

"Well, somewhat big, mid-sized, actually." This deflated the red engine's ego. "You, Thomas, are small. Small, small, small, teeny weenie weenie. And I, I'm a big blue engine who knows everything!"

"Except how to get up hills," added Duck, gaining a few chuckles from Henry and Thomas.

"Oh, quiet, you three!" Gordon snapped. "You're all ones to talk. I've only gotten stuck on a hill a few times. Duck's gotten a shave, Henry was afraid of the rain, and Thomas went down a mine!"

"Hey, you went into a bog as well!" Thomas huffed.

"Quiet, quiet!" Oliver insisted. "What's important now is to stick together, and stand up on our own wheels to those three Diesels."

"Oliver's right," Duck said. "I even heard that Diesel 10 say that he was looking for a lost steam engine before."

"He was?" James asked.

"You were there with me when he said so," the Great Western engine sighed. "As was Thomas."

"You mean when he first arrived?" Thomas inquired. "Come to think of it, those two diesels did mention a boss. Maybe they're aligned with Diesel 10, and are looking for the lost engine as well." Just then, Edward appeared, and stopped on the turntable.

"Did you say a lost engine?" he asked. The turntable began to spin.

"Ah, yes," Thomas answered. "Why?"

"So maybe the lost engine in the legend actually does exist…" he murmured.

"What legend?" James asked.

"I thought the only legend about a lost engine was Duke," Gordon recalled.

"There was another one," Edward stated. "This one is about an engine that has magic which makes her more powerful than any one of us can hope to be." The turntable stopped, and Edward backed into his stall. "If Diesel 10 believes that that legend is more than a simple fairy tale, then he's most likely bent on destroying her."

"Then we'd better find her before he does," Duck reasoned.

"Leave it to the big engines, Ducky!" James exclaimed, and he headed straight out across the turntable, and towards the big station.

"Hold up, James!" Duck called out. "I need to fetch your train!" As soon as the turntable was properly aligned, Duck followed him out towards the station.

"Little engines can do big things," Thomas remarked. "Especially when they have nice blue paint like me!" He then chuffed off after the two engines, Annie and Clarabelle in tow.

"…you do realize he's been saying thing like that since his days in Vicarstown, right?" Henry noted to Gordon.

* * *

"'Dear Mr. Conductor,

Where were you? My wife said that she couldn't miss our little holiday. I'll telephone to make sure that you've arrived.

Signed,

Sir Topham Hatt.'"

Mr. Conductor put down the handwritten letter on the desk in Sir Topham Hatt's office. The office wasn't too spectacular – shades of brown, with a telephone, a coatrack, a desk and leather chair, a bookcase, some drawers, and a window overlooking Knapford station. Mr. Conductor sighed, then looked at the coat rack. A black top hat rested on the topmost hook. Gaining an idea, he took his hat off, placed it on the desk, and tried on the top hat. Feeling rather important, he took out a hand mirror, and admired himself in it.

"'Where were you?"' he imitated.

"**BRRING! BRRING!"**

"WAH!" The sudden ringing of the telephone startled Mr. Conductor so much that he banged into the desk, falling to the floor with a groan. A picture frame fell off of the desk, and was saved from breaking only by a timely grab. Looking it over, Mr. Conductor noticed it was a picture of Lady Hatt. He then remembered the phone, so he got up, placed the picture back on the desk, and picked up the phone.

"North Western Railway, Mr. Conductor speaking."

"_Hello!"_

"Oh, good afternoon, Sir Topam Hatt sir!"

"_How are you enjoying your first day on the job?"_

"Oh, it's a real honor, sir. Like my family before me."

"_Yes, I'd imagine so."_

"And how is Lady Hatt doing?"

"_Fine, along with the kids. Nothing spectacular happen, I assume? I don't want to find Henry in the ocean again like last week."_

"No, not at all, sir. I'll definitely see to it that that won't happen."

"_And watch Henry's health. I've had to put him back on the Welsh coal since the accident."_

"Certainly."

"_And the three R's?"_

"Yes sir! Reading, writing, and arith-!"

"_NO! The OTHER three R's!"_

"Ah! I mean-!" Mr. Conductor collected his thoughts. "I will be responsible."

"_Go on."_

"Reliable."

"_And?"_

"Really useful, sir."

"_And no confusion and delay, alright?"_

"Yes sir. We will all get a good night's sleep, looking forward to a hard day tomorrow."

"_Alright. I'll call you tomorrow."_

"Goodbye, sir."

"_Goodbye."_ Just as, he hung up the phone…

"**HA-CHOO!"** Mr. Conductor rushed to the window. Outside, was Diesel 10. With Pinchy''s help, he had just crushed a bag of a white powdery substance, which Mr. Conductor surmised was sneezing powder, all into Thomas's funnel. James, Duck, and Donald, helpless to do anything, gasped at the scene.

"Thomas, are you alright?-!" James asked.

"I-I think so-a-a-ah-choo-choo!" The passengers and porters were covered in sneezing powder as well, and were sneezing right alongside Thomas. Amid all this, the guard blew his whistle, and Thomas set off for his branchline.

"Dinna think that ya can try any more tricks, Diesel 10!" Donald warned. "Or ya be endin' up like that spiteful Brakevan!"

"Oh yeah?" Diesel 10 taunted. "You and what army? Oh wait, do you mean those teapots on wheels? Hahahahaha!" Diesel 10 left in the opposite direction.

"Why, of all times now, did I have to take this job?" Mr. Conductor sighed.

* * *

Rusty arrived back from the slate mines just before the sun came down. As he past the platforms at Crovans Gate, he saw Duke. He was waiting for the passengers to get off the last train of the day and transfer to diesel express to Peel Godred.

"Rusty, why are you back so late?" Duck asked. Rusty explained to him about what Diesel 10 had done and said.

"Do you know anything about it?" the little diesel asked.

"No idea," Duke aditted. "The Arlesburgh Branch closed before our line did, so I haven't heard anything of the sort. Maybe Skarloey or Rheneas would know something…"

"But Skarloey is in the works for another few days, and Rheneas is on loan to the Talyllin Railway," Rusty noted.

"Indeed. This mystery will have to wait until then." Duke paused. "Let's hope Thomas and the others can hold out until then."

"I hope so," Rusty sighed.

* * *

Only a few trains run at night on the Island of Sodor. The evening Wild Nor'easter and the Brendam Express are one, but they leave just after nightfall. The mail trains are another, but they, too, finish up before midnight. Still another is the Flying Kipper, but with a 5:00 a.m. departure time, it's technically a morning train.

That meant, more often than not, the engines were all in their sheds after dark. Thomas, Percy, Toby, and Daisy the Diesel Railcar slept at Ffarquarh, the end of Thomas's branchline. Edward and BoCo had berths right at Brendam Docks, along with Bill and Ben the Tank Engine Twins. Vicarstown also had a shed, but Diesel 10's presence, along with the shed's proximity to the Other Railway, had caused the other engines to all but avoid it. That left Tidmouth as the sleeping quarters for Duck, Oliver, Donald, Douglas, Gordon, Henry, and James. And on this night, Mr. Conductor as well.

"What brings ye to thee sheds t'night, Mr. C?" Douglas asked him.

"Oh, just thought I'd sleep with you guys tonight," he replied.

"But didn't Sir Topham Hatt pay for a hotel for you to sleep at?" Oliver inquired.

"I highly doubt that," James said. "We can't pay for a new yard engine for Tidmouth, or for a mainline viaduct to be properly repaired, or for our sheds to be fixed."

James was right. Next to Duck's berth was a large, gaping hole in the wall of the shed. Metal scaffolding was around the hole, but there were no tools littering the area, as if it had not been touched in some time.

"Didn't Percy crash into the Breakdown Train two months ago?" Mr. Conductor asked in astonishment.

"Like I said, we can't pay for them to be fixed."

"That Crane is still sitting in Crovans Gate," Henry added.

"Changing topics if I may beg pardon," Duck interrupted, "but where do you intend to sleep?"

"Right behind you," Mr. Conductor said. "There's a cot and a small kitchen there for workers there. Now I'm going to go back and change for bed, there's a busy day ahead tomorrow, I'm sure of it."

"Every day's a bisy day here on Sodor," Donald quipped. "G'night, Mr. C."

"Goodnight," he replied, heading towards the back. Then a thought struck him. He turned around.

"By any chance, do any of you guys snore?" he asked.

"No! No no no no! Certainly not!" Were some of the replies given to him.

"Do you see Thomas anywhere around here?" Gordon chuckled. This got a laugh out of everyone.

* * *

Much later, the soft purr of a diesel engine could be heard in the distance, slowly growing louder.

On the track next to the shed, Diesel 10 quietly rolled up alongside the shed, stopping right before the hole in the shed. Pinchy's hatch opened up, allowing the claw to come out.

"Alright Pichy, my bucket of badness. Time to feast yourself."

It was just before this time that Mr. Conductor, wearing a white nightgown and cap, woke up feeling very thirsty. When in these situations, he goes to his favorite drink – tea. Without disturbing the other engines, he went into the small kitchen and brewed some for himself. However, when he tasted it…

"Mnh, could be a little sweeter…" he murmured, as he began to rifle through the cabinets. "There's got to be some sugar around – aha!" Finding the right cabinet, he got out a brand new, unopened bag of Sodor Sugar. He took a spoon from the drawers, and used it to pour a little dash of sugar in. Now came the all-important taste test.

"Ah…just right."

From the front of the shed, Duck woke up. "Eh…does anyone else hear-?"

**!CRASH! !BANG! !SMASH! **The walls of the shed shuddered and groaned, knocking some sediment out of the roof, which rained down on Mr. Conductor and the engines. The interim head of the North Western Railway quickly placed down his tea, and rushed to the front of the building, only to join in with the surprised gasps of the engines.

"Ah!"

"Wah!"

"Losh shakes!"

"It's Diesel!"

"Diesel?-!"

"Yoiks!"

"Oh no!"

Diesel 10 laughed maniacally. Pinchy had knocked away all the scaffolding, and damaged several bricks on the wall. "Hello, Twinkle Toes!"

"But nun ev us have toes!" Douglas protested.

"Douggie!" his twin groaned. "Dis is no time fer a lame joke!"

"Not you steamies," Diesel 10 said, "your interim controller!"

"Diesel 10!" Mr. Conductor growled.

"Hello Mr. Conductor. I've got a plan to get rid of your steamie friends, and you're not in it!"

"You can't catch me, Diesel!" Mr. Conductor declared, and blew his whistle. However, only a little sparkle – and a lot of static – came out. He didn't even fade away for a second.

"Eh?-!"he gasped. "Oh no, not now!" He tried again, but even less sparkle appeared this time. Diesel 10 laughed again.

"Losing your sparkle, huh? What perfect timing…now tell me: where's the lost engine? Or I'll topple the sheds and trap your friends one by one!"

"You won't find the engine here!"

"You're not clever enough to stop me without your sparkle!"

"Oh yes I am!" Mr. Conductor struggled to think of something on the fly. Nothing came to him…until Pinchy crashed against the side of the shed, sending more debris flying, including Mr. Conductor's tea and…

"That's it!" He declared. He went back into the kitchen area, and returned with what he had been looking for.

"S-s-s-sugar?-!" Diesel 10 asked in horror.

"Yes, Diesel! And if I throw this in your fuel tank, it'll seize you up for good!" He took a handful of sugar out, and threw it towards the engine.

"OWAH!" Diesel 10 cried, jerkin back several feet. "Watch where you throw that stuff!"

"He is!" James called out.

"Make the most of tonight, Twinkle Toes!" Diesel 10 vowed. "Because you won't like tomorrow! And neither will that line of tin kettles!" With that, he backed away, taking a piece of the scaffolding that was stuck around his buffer with him. Mr. Conductor watched until he was sure that he was gone, then turned to the engines.

"Are you guys alright?" he asked as he placed down the bag of sugar.

"A little shaken up," Henry admitted, "but physically fin-a-a-ACHOO!"

"Except for your sea cold," Gordon noted.

"Gesundheit," Oliver said.

"Oh -sniff-, tank you."

"Beg pardon, sir," Duck inquired, "but what happened to your sparkle?" Mr. Conductor shook his head.

"I don't know, Duck. I guess I'll just have to sleep on that."

"On your sparkle?"

"No, Oliver. On the problem of what happened to it."

"Bet sir," Donald wondered. "Wethout yer sparkle, or that lost engine…"

"Can we quit it with calling it the lost engine?" James interrupted. "It has to have a name, doesn't it?"

"If it had a name," Gordon said wisely, "then it wouldn't be lost."

"Anyway, I'll solve the problem," Mr. Conductor assured them. "You guys just go to sleep."

"Easy for you to say…" Henry said uneasily, as the engines went soundly asleep.

…well most of them did. A little while later, Duck was awoken by the sounds of Mr. Conductor muttering.

"Mnh…Sparkle…gold dust..."

"Hey Oliver," Duck hissed. "Oliver!"

"Mnh…" the Great Western engine groaned, "not now…"

"…Diesel 10…waterfall..."

"Oliver, wake up!"

"Ugh aye…" Douglas yawned, awoken even by this.

"Wat's the matter, Duck?" his twin asked groggily.

"Mr. C., that's what!" The four engines listened to him continue to ramble.

"…magic railroad…buffers…lost engine…" He turned in his sleep. "…as long as there is a railroad…there will be harmony…as long as there is gold dust…there will be energy…no worries…yeah, sure…" He then returned to sleep.

"Whaddyah make of that?" Donald whispered.

"A magic railroad?" Oliver wondered. "Buffers?"

"It might have something to do with the lost engine Diesel 10's after," Duck surmised.

"Bet what beffers is he talkin' about?" Douglas asked. "There're at least a thousand sidin's on Sodor!"

"I don't know," Duck replied. "But whatever it is, it's something that Mr. Conductor knows, yet is not aware of."

"Does that even make any sense?" Oliver asked.

"No. But we better tell the others about-" They were cut off by Mr. Conductor.

"What's going on with our railroad and why?" he muttered. "And what does it have to do with Shining Time? My universes are in danger…I've got to find more gold dust!"

"Shining Time?" Douglas whispered. "I've never heard a station with that name b'fore."

"Universes?" Oliver thought aloud. "I thought we were the only one? Or something like that?"

Over a few stalls over, Henry slowly opened his eyes, awoken by the commotion. "-Yawn- Is it four-thirty already…?" He looked at a clock mounted on the wall. "…oh…only two twenty…" With that, the big green engine blissfully went back to sleep.

* * *

_For Your Information…_

_Henry's accident was caused by the events in _**Something in the Air**_._

_Gordon actually refers to an event that hadn't happened in this timeline, _**Calling All Engines**_._

_Mr. Conductor's sleeping quarters was moved to a more practical location, since actual roundhouses did have crew quarters in the back._

_Will Mr. Conductor figure out the mystery behind the disappearance of his sparkle? Will Duck and the other engines be able to hold out until then? And are we missing one annoying cousin from this tale? We'll find out next time, so stay tuned!_


	4. Begineth the Search!

_I'm finally back! It almost looked like I wasn't going to get this done by today, but fortunately, I found the perfect way to plug away at writing – watching the Endless Eight all in a row! And I finished this with three to spare!_

Thanks to **ThomasPercyEmilyandMolly**, **matt0044**, and **DonPinata** for their reviews!

From K.D: An excellent chapter!

When are you going to do Chapters 4-10?

Tell us when you do! I can't wait!

Did you even sign the petition to get the director's cutof "Thomas And The Magic Railroad" released to us yet?

From KKid: Thanks for the review! I'll try to finish the story before Thanksgiving. And yes, I did sign it finally!

From Duck 'n' Diesel: This is shaping up to be a great re-write of the movie so far, with all the missing characters from both shows having at least a cameo appearence. The only thing missing here that I think would make this really good is Campbell and O'Donnell's classic soundtrack.

However, I do feel the need to mention several errors mentioned in this chapter:

"There already was a diesel here who spoke such nonsense, and James sent him packing!" I think you mean Duck here...

"'Oliver's right,' James said. 'I even heard that Diesel 10 say that he was looking for a lost steam engine before.'

'He was?' Duck asked.

'You were there with me when he said so' the red engine groaned." In Chapter 1, Duck seemed to be the one more interested in Diesel 10's mention of Lady then James was, I think you mixed them up again.

Anyway, this is a great story so far, and I hope you'll update soon.

From KKid: Thanks for the review! I can't really put in the soundtrack, once we reach the end, I'll put a list of voice actors that I believe will suit the best engines and people the best. And I've reworked those scenes. Thanks for pointing those mistakes out! Though, since that was the story James fed Duncan, I'll leave his lines as is.

And for everyone who hasn't reviewed…shame on you all.

_We aren't quite yet ready to go back to Shining Time yet, but it's time to introduce another major character to the story. Time to start chapter 4!_

* * *

**Chapter 4: Begineth the Search!**

The engines were all up bright and early for the next day's jobs. Henry was the first to depart; he had to take The Flying Kipper at five o' clock. Donald and Douglas were next, as they had to take a heavy goods train to Brendam Docks. Gordon and Oliver soon left as well, to take their respective passenger trains. Mr. Conductor was up through all of this, aligning the turntable and shining up the brass finishings before the engines got to work, but he had to take a breather after Gordon left. He was starting to feel a little faint, and began to worry that it wasn't a simple dizzy spell. Still, he pressed on, and began to polish up James for his stopping train to Vickarstown. He had just finished when he noticed James twitching his nose in pain.

"What's wrong, James?" he asked.

"It's that stupid fly, that's what!" the red engine replied angrily. "That thing's been living in the shed for a week now, and decided just last night to land on my nose! Now I have this itch on my nose, and I don't have enough steam yet to wheesh it away!"

"Maybe I can help get that itch off you," Mr. Conductor offered. He picked up a broom, and began to scratch James's nose. James felt instant relief.

"Ooh…left a bit...a-ah, right a bit…n-no, up…ah! Oh-ha-ha!" Mr. Conductor stopped brushing.

"There, James. Tickle all gone now?"

"No," he said sadly, "still itchy." He smiled. "Just kidding!" The two of them chuckled. Mr. Conductor suddenly yawned. He stood the broom up on its handle, and leaned against the brush end. James grew concerned.

"Hey, Mr. C, why do you look so tired. It's not because I'm red, is it? Gordon sometimes says that red is a very tiring color, but I think it looks so nice against the snow…it's not that, is it?" Mr. Conductor shook his head.

"Oh, no, of course not James! I think that red is bright and cheerful, as do many other people!" James felt much better.

"Oh, good!"

" Just like my sparkle!" the mood immediately became solemn. "Or at least it was…and must will be again…"

"Mr. C?" James asked, concerned.

"It's nothing. Now off you go to work now! We wouldn't want the passengers to complain!"

"R-right, Mr. C. Keep your steam up!" And he steamed onto the turntable and headed for work. Once he was off, Mr. Conductor walked over to the turntable controls, and repositioned the track so that it was in line with the last engine that had to leave.

"Beg pardon, sir," Duck said to him, "but are you really alright?"

"Does it look that bad?" Mr. Conductor replied. "There's never been a shortage of gold dust before in my family as far as I can remember…the only plan in case of a crisis was to find the waterfall…and I think I know which one! Duck, can you take me to Crovans Gate? I need to get to the Skarloey Railway as soon as possible!"

"Will do, Mr. Conductor." Mr. Conductor hopped into Duck's cab, and the Great Western engine set off for the mainline.

* * *

"A magic railroad?" Thomas repeated to Donald and Douglas at the junction. "Here? On Sodor?"

"We dinna believe en it ourselves," Donald stated, "bet after descussin' the matter weth Duck an' Oliver, it's the only cenclusion we culd come up with."

"Mr. C's sparkle runs out," Douglas explained, "just as that Diesel 10 comes ta Sodor, statin' that he's returned fer a lost steam engine. Yet none ev us ever remember him frem all those years workin' this line. A bit strange, isn't it?"

"It certainly is," Thomas said.

"Weel, we be off ta see Edward," Donald whistled. "Maybe he knows a thing or two 'bout the legend. Take care!" The Scottish twins departed the station, bound for Edward's branchline. Their long train obscured Thomas's line of sight, preventing him from seeing Duck and Mr. Conductor pass through the junction on the next track.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the other side of the island at Vickarstown, Gordon approached the station, as usual, right on time. As he slowed to a halt, he could see the stationmaster waving to him on the platform.

"The turntable at Barrow is jammed," he explained to him. "Some diesel shunted a train straight into the well! You'll have to turn around here and bring the train over the bridge tender-first."

"Must have been Diesel Ten or one of his henchdiesels," Gordon grumbled as he uncoupled. "Now I'll have to look like a tank engine to those diesels again. The indignity…" he grumbled all the way to the Vickarstown sheds, and onto the turntable. The big blue engine didn't notice that while he was turning, a pair of eyes were watching him. Not the eyes of Splatter and Dodge, but the eyes of George the Steamroller. George glared enviously at Gordon, who was already halfway around the turntable. Diesel 10 purred up alongside him.

"Rotten things, turntables are!" George grumbled. "They take up too much space better suited for a road!"

"I agree," Diesel 10 concurred. "They're necessary for most steam engines, since they can't go fast tender first. But we diesels can go just as well forwards or backwards. We don't need turntables." He paused. "How about we join forces, eh? You help me, and I help you." George looked at the diesel.

"You realize that not only do I hate railways, but I'm also a STEAM roller?" he asked.

"Wheels before power, my friend. You are a vehicle before a steam engine in my eyes, and even if I considered you to be a steam engine, well, 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend.' If you help me, I promise you the turntable." George froze.

"The turntable?" he repeated.

"Yes," Diesel 10 said, "Vickarstown AND Tidmouth." George pondered the terms. He had never wanted to completely rip out the turntables in the first place. No, he wanted to take out the mechanisms for the track, leaving a smooth, barren pit.

"My own personal roller rink…" he daydreamed aloud. "And I'll have two of them…" He imagined himself driving down one side of the pit, gaining enough speed to rocket up the other side. He shot into the air, doing a spin while sneering at Gordon, Henry, and James, who were watching from afar in disgust and envy.

"Deal!" George stated as he snapped back into reality. "What's my end of the bargain?"

"There's a lost engine that I'm looking for that's connected with Twinkle Toes," Diesel 10 explained. "Twinkle Toes can travel between worlds, just like his father once did forty years ago. He helped stash away the engine before I could get to her on a magic railway, which only his son knows about. As much as I know, the railway ends at a set of buffers which transport an engine to this railway rather than stop a train. However, if I sent myself or my henchmen in to ram a buffer set that isn't the right one, we'll only derail, and end our search then and there. But you can go off the rails without problems, so I want you to ram the buffers on Sodor until you find the magic buffers. You got that?"

"Yes, sir!" George replied. He looked around, and immediately spotted a set of buffers on one of the nearby sidings. The steamroller charged full speed at the set of buffers, shattering them to pieces.

"No, no, no!" Diesel 10 groaned. "They wouldn't be in such an obvious place like the yard! They'd be on a disused siding or a lightly used branchline!"

"Hey, Diesel 10!" Gordon called over. He had spotted him when George demolished the buffers. "How about I hook you onto the end of my Express, and you ride all the way to London?"

"No thanks, you pompous puffbox!" he replied, as he backed away. "Remember, George! All of the buffers!" George groaned when he heard this. When he signed up for this, he was expecting to knock over only a few buffers…but all of the Island's buffers…

* * *

At Crovans Gate, the Narrow-Gauge engines were getting ready to start their day's work. Peter Sam had the first train today, and Nancy, the guard's daughter, was busy polishing him up before the run.

"Almost done, Peter Sam," she told the green engine. "Just a few more spots left on your dome, and-"

"Hurry up, Nancy!" Duncan interrupted. "I can already see my reflection in Peter Sam's paint for crying out loud! Why not polish up someone like me instead?"

"Because you'd come back having my polish go to waste!" she giggled. "My father said that you are taking trains to the slate mines today." The other engines laughed, while Duncan scowled.

"Pah!" he groaned. "Hopefully, these trucks won't be for that clawed diesel again…"

"I told BoCo about Diesel 10 last night," Rusty said. "He's assured me that there'll be no problems with him, but the little bit about the lost engine is bothering me…"

"It's probably nothing," Sir Handle told him. "Let BoCo and the other engines handle this out. Remember when Henry told Peter Sam he would leave his passengers behind if he was late?"

"I'd rather not…" Peter Sam groaned.

"Diesel 10 has said that he has already been on the North Western Railway before," Duke noted. "Maybe Skarloey or Rheneas know more about the situation than we do." Just ten, Duck puffed up alongside the engine shed. "Good morning, Duck. What brings you off of the Little Western?"

"I wish I had the answer," Duck replied, as Mr. Conductor hopped out of his cab.

"M-M-Mr. C-conductor, sir!" the narrow-gauge engines stammered when they saw him (Except Duke. He just said it normally).

"W-what brings you to the Skarloey, sir?" Sir Handle asked.

"Hello, my friends!" Mr. Conductor greeted the engines. "I need to get to Rheneas as soon as possible." Duck became puzzled.

"Isn't Rheneas at The Works for repairs?" he wondered. "Why did we go to the enginehouse then?" Mr. Conductor wobbled a bit, then leaned against Duck's water tank. "Sir?"

"I-I'm alright…" he managed. "Anyway, Rheneas the engine was named after Rhenes, the last town before the junction for the loop line. Rheneas is a Sudrian word meaning 'divided waterfall.'"

"So what does this have to do with you?" Duncan interrupted.

"Hush!" Nancy hissed. "Are you really ok, Mr. Conductor? Did something happen last night?" She turned to Duck. Henry whizzed by on the mainline with the Flying Kipper Return.

"If I may speak up, Diesel 10 attacked us in the sheds last night." The narrow-gauge engines gasped.

"Good heavens!" Duke gasped.

"That diesel is that evil?-!" Duncan asked. "Why if I would face him-!"

"You would cower back to your shed," Rusty muttered, earning an embarrassed blush from Duncan.

"I was able to ward him off," Mr. Conductor explained, "but with my gold dust running out, I'm not sure I could do the same again. My family did mention something about going to a waterfall in case of a problem a lot, though. Considering that where I come from, there are no waterfalls, Rheneas is probably the best bet to find my sparkle. After all, my family has been working on Sodor's railways for generations."

"Sounds about right," Sir Handle noted.

"Peter Sam's taking the next train to the lake," Duke noted. "You can tag along with him." Mr. Conductor turned to Peter Sam.

"Is that all right with you?" he asked.

"It's an honor to be helping you!" Peter Sam replied, and he rushed off to collect his coaches.

"When is he ever going to learn some sort of patience?" Sir Handle groaned. Duke chuckled.

"If I'm not mistaken," he noted, "you and Duncan have that energy every time you pull slate trucks!"

"Because we hate slate trucks!" they both replied in unison. Duck laughed.

"Speaking of trucks," he said, "I have to take a train of empty cars to Norramby. Goodbye, Mr. Conductor! Take care of yourself now!"

"Don't worry about me!" Mr. Conductor called back. "Watch out for Diesel 10!" Duck pulled forward onto the mainline to run around a string of seven trucks, and backed down and coupled onto the string. He then backed onto the mainline in order to switch onto the Ballahoo branch, where there was another string of trucks and . The points were switched onto the branchline, but as soon as he started, he was stopped by an object on the track. The object was George, and he straddled the branchline tracks, preventing Duck from moving forward. Worse still, one truck was still hanging over the mainline track.

"George?" Duck asked. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm looking for some special buffers," George replied. "All the buffers here seem pretty normal, though."

'Buffers?' Duck thought. 'So is George working with Diesel 10, then?' "I'd appreciate helping you, but can you let me through, please?"

"You'll just have to wait!" George snapped. "Until I think of where to go next!"

"There's no time to wait, though!" the Great Western engine said. "Gordon's supposed to come by with the Express any minute now! I have to clear the line for him to speed through!"

"Then he'll just have to wait, too!" Duck began to lose patience with George.

"You can't just hold up the express on a whim just like that!" he retorted. But without a breakvan, and therefore a guard, there was nobody to alert the signalman about the blockage. He simply set the points for Gordon to speed through.

"I'll show that tin can who's the greatest and fastest!" Gordon grumbled. "Just let him watch me fly by!" He whistled long and loud as he slowed down for Crovans Gate. Duke, Rusty, and Sir Handle were still at the enginehouse, and could see Gordon approaching. They could also see that Duck's train was still on the mainline.

"Gordon!" they called. "Stop! Duck's on the mainline!" Gordon glanced at the narrow-gauge engines, then back ahead down the line, where he saw the truck on the line.

"Get out of my way!" Gordon shouted. But with George barring Duck's path, there was nowhere for the truck to move. Gordon closed his eyes, awaiting the impact.

**!CRASH!** The truck flew into the air, before crashing nearby in a heap of twisted wood and metal. Gordon grinded to a halt at the station platform, where Peter Sam and Mr. Conductor were awaiting Gordon's passengers.

"Good gracious, Gordon!" Mr. Conductor gasped. "What cow did you hit along the way to town?-!" The big blue engine looked down at his buffers, and groaned. His left buffer was twisted towards the sleepers, while the right one was bent towards Peter Sam. Mr. Conductor sighed.

"I'm sorry, Gordon, but you can't pull the Express without a good set of buffers. At least The Works are here, so you don't have to travel far. Duck can pull the train to Cronk with Splatter and Dodge, where Edward can take over the train." Splatter and Dodge oiled up alongside Gordon, and sniggered at his predicament. Gordon simply groaned.

"Oh, the indignity…"

* * *

It was a slow journey for the Express, since Splatter and Dodge only topped out at 35 mph, but they eventually reached Cronk. Edward was waiting for them there. Splatter and Dodge returned to Crovans Gate, as they would take Duck's train for him. Duck had a rather uneasy feeling about that, but since Mr. Conductor had ordered it…

"Goodbye, Duck!" Edward said, and pulled out of the station for Tidmouth Station. Duck waited for him to clear the block ahead, so that he could head back to the Little Western. Just as the signal dropped, BoCo arrived with a goods train.

"Hello, Duck!" he greeted. "It's a good thing that I found you; we've called for a meeting at Wellsworth. You should get there as soon as I clear the block." With that, he left, leaving Duck to wait again for a clear road. As the breakvan passed, Duck noticed that Gordon was coupled to the rear of the train. He looked depressed, which, considering his situation, was understandable. Soon, the signal dropped, and the Great Western engine took off for Edward's station.

As Duck passed over the mainline, he had to cross over the viaduct. He could swear that he felt his wheels wobble as he crossed the bridge. He then proceeded to conquer both sides of Gordon's Hill, and coasted towards the station. He whistled at Oliver and Toad as they passed in the other direction. He didn't give as cheerful of a greeting to Diesel 10 when the diesel raced by, fortunately too far away for Pinchy to reach him. The Great Western engine was switched into the small yard at Wellsworth, where an open track was waiting for him. Thomas, James, BoCo, Gordon, Henry, Daisy, and Douglas were waiting for him in the yard.

"It looks like this is enough engines to have the meeting now," BoCo noted.

"Beg pardon," Duck interrupted, "but what is the reason for the meeting?"

"'Tis about Mr. Conductor," Douglas explained.

"I think his sparkle's all gone," Thomas lamented. Bertie the bus drove into the yard.

"What's with the sour face, Thomas?" he asked. "It's a bright and sunny day!"

"My smokebox doesn't feel sunny," Henry grumbled. "It feels all stuffed up."

"Nasty fumes from dingy diesels," Gordon suggested. "No offense to present bodies, of course."

"None taken," BoCo said.

"But how bad could a diesel be?" Daisy wondered." I've yet to see that diesel do anything bad on the line with my own eyes yet." At that moment, they were alerted to a clickety-clack noise on the mainline. It was Toad, who was racing back down the mainline, without an engine or guard to check the train's speed.

"OOH, HELP!" Toad screamed, as he rattled through the station, the trucks giggling and laughing behind him. A minute later, Oliver came puffing down the line, running bunker-first, and in hot pursuit of his train.

"Bother that Diesel 10!" he grumbled. "Breaking the coupling of my train…Hang on, Toad! I'll catch you! I must!" The other engines watched this scene.

"…Is that enough proof for you?" James asked the diesel railcar.

"…yeah. That's good enough for me."

"It's worse than that," Gordon stated. "Diesel's recruited George to help him find the lost engine."

"And if he finds her," BoCo noted, "It might be the end of you."

"Whet do you mean?" Douglas wondered.

"BoCo fears that with the power of the lost engine," Toby explained, "Diesel 10 will be able to destroy us all." Gordon wouldn't believe it.

"What, even an engine as big and grand as me?-!"

"Yes, Gordon, even you." The engines fell silent for a moment.

"Ah…ahh…ACHOO!" Thomas sneezed.

"Say it, don't spray it," Daisy said.

"It's not his fault," James protested. "He still has the sneezing powder up his funnel from Diesel 10."

"I heard George saying that he was looking for some buffers," Duck noted. "And Mr. Conductor muttered something about buffers. Maybe they have something to do with the lost engine?"

"Could be," Douglas said. "Eef dere's a lost engine, maybe she's behind a lost set ef beffers."

"We should keep an eye out for anything suspicious," Toby told them. "Meanwhile, we should get back to work. That's what Mr. Conductor would want us to do." The engines all left the yard to get back to their respective duties, except for Thomas. Bertie drove up alongside him.

"How about a race, Thomas?" he suggested. "That might cheer up your mood!"

"Sorry, Bertie," Thomas apologized. "I have to be a really useful engine today, and help solve some mysteries instead." He puffed out of the yard.

"I guess that means I win!" the bus called out. "Or perhaps another day?"

* * *

Peter Sam was puffing nicely out of Glennock station. He had had a good run out of the station, and it looked like they were going to reach Rheneas early.

"Not long now, Mr. C!" Peter Sam called out to his friend. But he was wrong. Peter Sam was so happy to be helping Mr. Conductor, he forgot to take on coal and water before he left the station. As a result, he became stranded on the line between Glennock and the river bridge, out of water, and out of the happiness he had only moments ago.

"Bother!" he groaned. "Here I was, trying to make a good impression for you, Mr. C, and I go and blow it!"

"Nevermind, Peter Sam!" Mr. Conductor assured him. "You've saved me a ton of walking already. The guard already ran back to the station to get another engine. I'll just walk on ahead, and head over to the waterfalls."

"Will you be all right?" Peter Sam asked.

"Don't worry, it's not like I'm going to get lost following a rail line." Mr. Conductor set forth down the line. Shortly after leaving Peter Sam, though, he began to feel light-headed again. He was still walking, but everything around him became hazy. He stumbled over rocks and bushes, not knowing where he was going. Histle, but all it did was make some noiseAt long last, his dizziness cleared up. Mr. Conductor looked all around him. His field of vision was nothing but trees, trees, and more trees. He was nowhere near a rail line at all, let alone civilization.

"What happened?" he said. "Where's the railway? Where's the waterfall? That's where I'm supposed to be?" He looked in every direction for a sign pointing the way, but there was a thick blanket of fog in every direction, obscuring even the sun from view.

"That's just great, now I've completely lost my sense of direction!" He tried to blow his whistle, but all it did was make noise. "And now my sparkle is all gone…If I don't find the source of making more gold dust soon, my dream won't stay just as a dream. Now only if my family told me better directions than 'If you can't remember the clue, the waterfall will remind you.' Where is the waterfall? And what is the clue?" He paced back and forth for a few minutes, before a noise caught his attention. He whipped around to see that, not far behind him, was a bed of…

"Carrots?" Mr. Conductor walked up to the vegetable bed. "Well they do say that carrots are good for the brain." He pulled one out of the ground, brushed off the dirt, and bit off the tip of the carrot. Within a few seconds, he began to have a strange reaction to the carrot.

"Plane, drain!" he blurted out. He quickly snapped back, and looked curiously at the carrot, before taking another bite. "Mountain, fountain!" He then noticed a celery plant in the ground.

"I wonder…" He pulled the plant out of the ground, and took a bite. The celery plant had a different reaction. "Sausage, bicycle – hic! – toothpaste, presents – hic!" he was about to take another bite, when a thought occurred to him.

"Presents…presents…presents!" he cheered. "That's it! That's it! Haha!" He quickly grabbed his whistle, and took it apart. Running his finger along the inside, his eyes lit up when he got the feeling he was looking for – gold dust residue.

"I need to find a bell flower," he muttered. "I need to make a call."

* * *

_For Your Information…_

_Bits and pieces from __**Bye George! **__And __**Toad Stands By **__were used in creating this episode._

_Next time, we'll return to Shining Time Station, where we'll meet the rest of our major human characters. But what will Diesel 10 do in the meantime? And will anyone else cause trouble as well? Find out next time, so ciao for now, and please continue to support my works!_


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